Fallout · Game
Bottle Caps
Bottle caps are the de facto currency of the post-nuclear wasteland in the Fallout series, salvaged from old soda bottles.
Quick facts
- Value of Bottle Caps
- A purified water or basic ammo costs a handful of caps
- Source
- Fallout · Game
- Type
- post-apocalyptic
- First appearance
- Fallout (1997)
- Backing (lore)
- Water merchants of the Hub
Bottle Caps overview
After the bombs fell, paper money became worthless and the survivors of Fallout needed something durable, hard to fake and already lying around. Bottle caps fit perfectly: small, metal, and impossible to print more of without the original machinery.
Their value is rooted in scarcity and history rather than any government, which is exactly why they outlasted the dollars buried in every ruined vault.
How to get Bottle Caps
Loot containers, complete quests, sell scavenged gear, and pick caps from defeated enemies. Some vendors pay more for specific goods.
What Bottle Caps is used for
Used to buy weapons, ammo, food, water and services from wasteland traders.
History of Bottle Caps
Caps were established as wasteland money in the first Fallout (1997), where their worth was once tied to a water-merchant standard.
Tips and trivia
Hoard ammo and junk early — vendors restock caps slowly, so selling in bulk across several traders nets more.
Economy in Fallout
The wasteland economy is built on trust, transport and scarcity. Bottle caps work because they are portable and hard to counterfeit, while barter, ammo, water and faction money reveal how broken the old world remains.
The economy is easiest to understand through practical routes: how currency is earned, which early purchases matter and which expensive goals are worth saving for.
How much Bottle Caps is worth
The value of this money is best understood through in-game prices: basic items, upgrades, rare equipment and late-game services.
Price catalog in Fallout
Prices can change between entries, shops, updates or barter systems, so the context column matters as much as the number.
| Item | Price | Category | Context | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Pin | 1 Caps | Utility item | Fallout 4 base value | Sale and buy prices vary by barter |
| Purified Water | 20 Caps | Aid item | Fallout 4 base value | Common survival and trading item |
| Stimpak | 48 Caps | Aid item | Fallout 4 base value | Healing item |
| RadAway | 80 Caps | Aid item | Fallout 4 base value | Radiation recovery |
| Rad-X | 40 Caps | Aid item | Fallout 4 base value | Radiation resistance |
| Jet | 50 Caps | Chem | Fallout 4 base value | Chem economy item |
| Mentats | 50 Caps | Chem | Fallout 4 base value | Chem economy item |
| Buffout | 45 Caps | Chem | Fallout 4 base value | Chem economy item |
| Fusion Core | 200 Caps | Power item | Fallout 4 base value | Power armor fuel |
| 10mm Pistol | 50 Caps | Weapon | Fallout 4 base value | Early weapon value |
| Pipe Pistol | 20 Caps | Weapon | Fallout 4 base value | Common scavenged weapon |
| Fragmentation Grenade | 50 Caps | Explosive | Fallout 4 base value | Combat item |
| Wonderglue | 20 Caps | Junk component | Fallout 4 base value | Useful for adhesive |
| Duct Tape | 12 Caps | Junk component | Fallout 4 base value | Useful for adhesive |
How to earn Bottle Caps
Players earn caps by looting ruins, completing quests, trading scavenged gear, crafting, gambling, selling purified water, clearing enemies and exploiting barter skills.
Best ways to farm Bottle Caps
Useful routes include repeatable battles, selling extra loot, clearing side content and focusing on rewards that help progression at the same time.
What Bottle Caps buys
Caps buy weapons, ammunition, armor, food, chems, repairs, settlement supplies, information and access to services.
Rare items and expensive goals
Power armor parts, rare weapons, pristine pre-war goods, unique plans, legendary gear and clean water are high-value anchors in the wasteland economy.
Economy systems
Important systems include barter, vendor caps, faction currencies, repair costs, settlement production, crafting, caravan trade and reputation.
Practical tips
Do not spend everything on minor upgrades. Keep a reserve for healing, travel and required progression costs.
Common questions
What is the main currency here? It is the money used for the work’s shops, upgrades or economy.
How do you earn it faster? Repeat high-value content, sell unneeded loot and focus on rewards that also improve your character or party.
Is there a real-world conversion? No official fixed conversion is available; item prices inside the work are more useful.